How to Respond to the Occupy Wall Street Movement

Occupy Wall Street.

Those three simple words either bring thoughts of support for the 99% or cynical thoughts on the current employment of the protesters or lack thereof.

Many supporters of the Occupy movement will bring up corporate greed as the reason that the country is in a recession and yes the corporate crimes that occur are no worse or no better than any other crime because all crime is hate.

The Fall of American Discontent amongst the twenty-somethings and disenfranchised of society is nothing exceptional when the issues are looked at they support

The local occupiers have kept to themselves for the most part at 19th and University and judging by some of the characters at the camp they are going to riot or commit crimes anytime soon. We are lucky that Lubbock has level-headed people in the Occupy movement as opposed to other cities around the country (See: Oakland, Dallas, deaf protester raped, protesters defecating on private property).

Let's think about a few things before judging this movement.

(1.) Are the protesters offering any solutions or just complaining?

I doubt they have any solutions that are workable. Many of their ideas would cripple markets worldwide. Look at the issue of relieving all student loan debt. You just can't write off the debt without someone assuming it and most likely the banks would have to eat that debt. A large percentage of banks would go under if this happened.

(2.) Are they protesting the right people?

Corporate greed isn't exactly a virtue, but then again government greed isn't right either. Maybe some protests of Washington D.C. might be in order to demand answers to why General Electric is getting tax breaks despite its billions on profits. Just a thought.

(3.) Our society is to blame and everyone is culpable.

We can blame a faceless 1% all we want or "like" a protest group on Facebook, but at the end of the day if you aren't examining yourself. Brett McCracken recently had a piece on Relevant Magazine that hits the nail on the head of how to respond.

McCracken writes, " True revolution begins here. True change begins with what we can actually control: our own lives, an awareness of our weaknesses and potentials, and a commitment to working to improve. If we have to occupy something, let it be the dominion of our own culpable Self, the guiltiest of all institutions and the one we are likeliest to spur toward positive change."

What will you do? Cast blame or take responsibility.